


Book 3: Sun

by bluechild



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Blushing, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I need to put more Ezran in, Multi, POV Multiple, Post-Season/Series 03, Rayla is awesome, Rayllum, Series 3, sorry if I forgot some tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:28:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22556323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluechild/pseuds/bluechild
Summary: My take on scenes from season 3, plus some extras I did. Mostly Rayllum fluff with an attempt at plot.Includes ‘The Midnight Desert’, ‘Heroes and Masterminds’, and most of the Storm Spire scenes.Half Season 3, half afterwards.(DISCONTINUED)
Relationships: Amaya/Janai (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Ethari/Runaan (The Dragon Prince), Lain/Tiadrin (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 77





	1. Drive

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! This is my first fanfic, I couldn’t contain myself after watching season 3! I love these two dorks so much and I need a season 4 :3
> 
> I hope that you enjoy reading!
> 
> This chapter was inspired by the song ‘Drive’ by Halsey.

I looked over at Callum. He was sitting at the edge of the saddle, looking out at the desert. The sunlight caught on his face, his eyes and his lips. He looked over at me and smiled, catching me gazing at him. I blinked, and quickly went to surveying the rocks and dunes of the Midnight Desert. 

Callum walked over and sat down next to me. I blinked, startled out of my concentration on thinking of anything but him. He smiled at me, again, and my heart jumped a little. “Big feelings time?” He asked me. I had lots of big feelings. But they were mostly for him, and I had enough trouble admitting that to myself, let alone anyone else. 

So I turned to him and raised an eyebrow, trying to play it cool. “Not this again. I do not have any big feelings, okay?” I flicked out one of my blades and starting flipping it around in the air, partly for emphasis, partly because it was funny to see the look on his face. He gulped. “Are you sure? I mean you-“ I grabbed one of my swords from mid-air and faced him. “No. I do not.” Satisfied by his slightly terrified expression, I put my swords back, and he proceeded to slide closer to me, and stared out into the desert. 

“It’s so weird out here. I mean, black sand? Have you ever been to the Midnight Desert?”  
I looked at him and found he was looking at me, almost studying my face. I looked back out at the towering dunes. “No, it was too dangerous. And I agree, this place is strange.” I thought for a moment. “There’s nothing super interesting in Katolis except for forest and the occasional village. What do you do there?” 

He grimly smiled, no doubt his unpleasant memories were re-surfacing.  
“I practiced sword-fighting with Soren - he used to call me the mud prince because I was always slip in the mud.” I laughed, only imagining Calum with a sword. “I tried horse riding. That... didn’t go so well for me - or the horse. Or whoever was within a ten meter radius of my training.” I let out a little chuckle. Poor Callum. 

“I mostly just drew pictures of people and things I saw. That was probably one of the most enjoyable part of my day. Oh, and stealing jelly tarts from the bakery! That was great too!” I couldn’t stop laughing at that. The Prince of Katolis, stealing jelly tarts from a poor old baker? I asked him, “What do jelly tarts taste like?” And he looked at me with shock, and then pure pity in his eyes. “One day we will go back to Katolis, and I will get you a jelly tart. I promise.” 

I smiled at him, and he smiled at me back. I felt something in the air, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. But my heart was beating wildly, at the closeness of Callum, especially how close our faces were. I looked at his lips, then at his beautiful, emerald eyes. My lips slightly parted, staring in awe of how stunning he looked in the sunset. 

Was he looking at me like that too?

But suddenly Nyx landed in front of us, and we jumped, turning to her. That moment had only been half a second - not enough to give my feelings for him away, or to tell if he had any for me. I couldn’t tell if I was relieved, disappointed or frustrated. 

I settled on disappointed. Nyx informed us; “We will be arriving at the Oasis at nightfall. We are on schedule!” I turned back at sat down, sliding my back down the edge of the saddle into a sitting position. 

I gave up trying to bottle up my feelings. I wanted to kiss Callum. I wanted him to hold me in his arms, and never let go. I wanted to spend hours exploring his lips. I buried my face in my hands. 

I was a mess.

I wasn’t supposed to like him. But I did. A lot. I didn’t want to like him, but at the same time I did. I looked over at Callum again. He was sitting back in his old spot, sketching. I tipped my head back in frustration, hitting the edge of the saddle. 

I wanted him to like me. I wasn’t sure if he did though. Argh! I hated this - the second guessing, the feelings of crushing disappointment, and the risk. What if he didn’t like me back - what if I made a move and he ran away. I would lose the only friend I had left. 

Oh, almost forgot that he was falling head over heels for Claudia only last week. That’s just great. I hated Claudia already - mostly for breaking his heart when she betrayed him, the rest because she was a dark mage. Actually, I hated her a lot for stealing his heart too. 

Why did this have to be so complicated? Why couldn’t he just, I don’t know, tell me how he’s feeling. Like big feelings time. I had lots of big feelings at the moment. 

I sighed again, polishing my blades to try to distract me from Callum’s beautiful, windswept hair fluttering in the wind. 

I just want... him.


	2. The Midnight Desert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is most of the Midnight Desert Rayllum scenes. All Callum’s POV, it switches between chapters.

Callum:

When we got to the end of the Midnight desert, I was going leave as be Nyx behind on the dust as fast as I could. 

I don’t know how she found out that I liked Rayla, or if she was guessing, but she was teasing me. “It gets really cold here at night, so we’ll need these.” Her eyebrows quirked up as she continued. “I wasn’t sure if you guys needed two blankets, or just one?” She smirked at us, with extra emphasis on one. 

Those blankets were tiny! I’d have to be pretty close to Rayla for us to fit under. Before my mind could paint a picture of the scene, I started babbling. “Ah! Two. Two. ‘Cause if there was just one then-“ My frantic stammering was cut off by Rayla by shoving a blanket in my face. “Two.” She said firmly, grabbing her own.  
“Two.” I looked back at my blanket, and then Nyx. “Two.”

We set up our blankets and went to sleep after that. Well, I tried but was occupied with thoughts of sleeping with Rayla. My arms would be wrapped around her waist to pull her close - same with hers around mine - her forehead would rest gently against mine, our legs would be tangled under the blankets and she would be sleeping peacefully. Beautiful. 

I sighed, giving up. I loved Rayla. But she didn’t like me. How could she? She was an elven assassin, and I was a ‘mis-step prince’, bad at everything. 

It seemed that every time we got close, she ran away. It’s like she remembered that I was a filthy human, unworthy of her trust or company. 

I probably was just that to her. 

Before we met, I thought that she was a bloodthirsty monster, a being who had no soul, no emotion. But so much had changed since then. 

Why couldn’t I stop falling for her?

I was pulled from sleep with a sniff, then a loud sob - Rayla?

I turned on my side to face her back, and another shuddering whimper escaped her lips. Was she... crying?

“Rayla? Did you say something?” I asked, my voice thick with sleep as I sat up and moved to her. I could see the tears slipping from her eyes as she sat up, and my heart broke.  
“You okay?” I asked, my hand reaching for her shoulder. She looked at me over her shoulder, and her lavender eyes were filled with sadness, tears spilling down her face. 

“Rayla, it’s okay-“  
“Get away from me!” She yelled, throwing her pillow into my face. It was wet from her tears. She ran away, away from me. 

Again. 

No. I wouldn’t let her slip out of my grasp again. 

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, walking over to the log where she had pulled her hood up and over her head. She was sobbing, and when she heard me walking over, she pulled her hood even tighter. 

“Please leave me alone!” She cried, turning her head away from me. I sat down next to her, reaching for her arm again. “I don’t care if you’re crying, I’m here with you.” She jerked away at my touch, jumping up. I fell backwards and she turned to me, letting me see her face again. 

“I’m a mess.” She said, her own voice thick but with tears and emotion. 

How could she think that? She was perfect!

I tried to keep my voice calm and reassuring. “No you’re not. It’s okay.”

She turned to look at me, hands grasping her good to pull it down, before turning to look away from me into the Oasis. “I’ve lost everything! My parents, the people who cared about me, my home. There’s nowhere I belong now!” Her voice broke on the the last sentence, and I could tell that she was crying again. 

“That’s not true Rayla. You’re just going through a hard time, that’s all.”

“That’s not all!” She kicked a rock at her feet in frustration. “It’s me. It’s my fault. I failed them. I let them all down.” She sat down at the Oasis edge, staring at her reflection on the water. 

“They were right to reject me.”

I walked over, but paused. My heart was crushed by her words. She truly felt this way about herself?

“I’m not good enough, and I never will be.”

That was enough. “Shut up!” I said, trying to jolt her out of her thoughts. Plus I couldn’t hear her put herself down for any longer. She looked up at me, confused. “Wait, what?”

“Just shut up! You’re talking crazy! Just listen,” I said, helping her up off the ground. “You’re too good to feel this way about yourself. I know that, and you should know that. You have true courage and a big heart. I’ve seen you get knocked down so many times before, and every single time, you get back up again. That’s real strength.”

I stepped back, smiling. “And you’re ten times funnier than any human I know.” She made a small sound of amusement, and I stepped closer again. “See? See, you know you’re amazing.”

I swallowed down my fears. She deserved to know how much she meant to me. “You’re smart, and fast, and beautiful.” I flipped her hood down, gazing into her beautiful lavender eyes. Her perfect, teardrop tattoos. Her smooth, polished horns. 

“Rayla, you’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met.”

She finally smiled, stepping even closer to me, before pressing her lips to mine. 

She kissed me. 

So... she did like me. In the way that I liked her. Unless this was a normal elf thing, like how they said thanks? No, surely not...

I was so distracted by my thoughts that I didn’t notice that she had pulled away, looking confused. 

Say something Callum!

Naturally I landed on the stupidest thing to say. 

“That’s not what I was... expecting.”

Now hurt was flashing through her eyes. Faintly, but I knew Rayla well enough to see it. 

“You were saying all those things so I thought...”

Ohhhhh... She thought that I liked her? Wait, does this mean that she liked me?

Oh no. This was painfully awkward. I still had no brain function, so I went along with what I said. I’m such an idiot. 

“No, I mean, I wasn’t saying those things so that you would...” I gestured between her and my mouth. I could still feel the ghost on her lips on mine. 

She gasped, covering her mouth. I didn’t even want to know what conclusion she had come to. 

“We will never speak of this again. Do you understand?” She said, turning back to the Oasis. 

“Of course, of course, yeah. Of course I do.” I mumbled, trying to act as small as possible. I hate myself. She kissed me, and I couldn’t even reassure her that she wasn’t an idiot for doing it. 

She turned back to me, looking absolutely terrifying. 

“No, I mean never. I will bind myself to killing you if you even mention-“

“Why would I? Pffft, no!” I chuckled nervously - she obviously wasn’t kidding. 

“We walk away, and this never happened.”

“Perfect.” I said meekly. When she walked away in the direction of camp, I slapped my head. 

What did I just do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters will be updated irregularly as I write them in random orders, but I have finished up to chapter 6 now.


	3. Heroes and Masterminds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty much every scene that has Rayla and Callum in it from Heroes and Masterminds.

Rayla:

It was humiliating. I had kissed him last night and he clearly didn’t like me back. I had made a fool of myself. Actually worse was the heartbreak. The disappointment. The crushed soul. I was sure, so sure that he liked me back. That he would kiss me back. But I was an idiot. Humans and elves just weren’t meant to be. But that didn’t help my heart from cracking open. 

Even worse was shoving that all deep down. Acting like everything was normal, that I didn’t make a move. That I didn’t get massively rejected. But the feeling still flashed through my head. The feeling of his lips on mine. It was intoxicating. A fitting punishment, that I would fall in- no. That I would fall for a human, and that he wouldn’t like me back. I couldn’t love him. He was - he was a human. An enemy. I had been supposed to kill him, not kiss him. But I couldn’t stop myself from liking him - he was brave, just, funny and courageous. He was so talented with a pencil, and he was always so kind and caring. He was per-

I was snapped out of my thoughts with Callum falling off his saddle. AGAIN. It was so annoying. I looked over my shoulder as he scrambled to get back on. I sighed. “Will you stop moving around?” I couldn’t be bothered to keep the irritation out of my voice.   
“Sorry, I’m just - trying to get a good position.” He slipped off. Again. “See? Its tricky.”  
I looked at him. “Just hold on to me.”  
I tried and failed to not notice the adorable blush creeping up his cheeks. “Oh. I mean - I guess I could do that. If you don’t think that would be...”  
I rolled my eyes. “If I dont think that would be what?”  
“Weird.” He offered.  
“You’re already weird! Super weird! Just hold on.”  
“Uh, uh... uh, okay, Sure. Sure. Not weird. Putting my arm around you a seems... very normal. I’m just, uh, gonna do...” he put his arms around my waist and his head practically on my shoulder, “that.”

We rode on, following ambler tracks. We were getting close. 

<>

We spotted Nyx soon - the ambler had it’s foot stuck in the sand. She saw us and hurried to get the ambler unstuck, which unfortunately, she succeeded at. She flew up to the beast’s head, urging it to go faster. Callum’s voice jolted me from my concentration. “She got the ambler’s foot unstuck. What do we do now?” I looked forward, determined.   
“We’re going to have to do this the hard way.”

We ride between the ambler’s hooves, and when we got up to the front one, I stood up on the steed. I heard Callum say; “No. No, no, no. You’re not gonna...” and I jumped onto it’s leg. I heard him yell, “This is crazy! This it totally crazy!” I tried to reassure him, “You can make it. I’ll catch you!” He stood up nervously, and then jumped. And proceeded to slip off the ambler’s leg. 

I grabbed him arm and hauled him up to me with a small smile, which he returned. Maybe he didn’t hate me after last night. Or at least he still wanted to be friends. I mentally shook myself out of my thoughts and gestured him to be quiet. We climbed up to the saddle, ready to surprise Nyx. 

<>

I jumped over the saddle wall with my swords drawn at Nyx. “Whatever your stupid scheme was, it’s over Nyx!”  
Callum finally slumped over the edge of the saddle, panting, and added; “We, uh... We trusted you.”

She kept her back to us. “What’s the big deal?” I heard Zym chitter nervously in Nyx’s arms as she turned around. “I was just taking Zym back to his mum. He would would get home faster, and I assume I’d get some sweet treasure or something as a reward. So you know, win-win.”

I wasn’t having any of it. “Hand. Zym. Over.” Zym added to the point by growling and Callum finally got up, still puffing. 

She laughed. “Wow. You really think you have me cornered, don’t you?” She smirked at us. “You’ve forgotten something!” Argh, she was infuriating!

“Oh yeah? What’s that?” Callum asked.   
Nyx just jumped up onto the saddle edge - and fell backwards. Me and Callum rushed to the edge, terrified. But Nyx just swooped up. With her wings. I mentally slapped myself. “She’s right. We did forget.” Callum observed helpfully. I let out a sound of frustration and walked over to the edge, where I could see Nyx being zapped by Zym. I pointed over to them. “Look!”

Suddenly, Nyx cried out after Zym zapped her particularly strongly and started free-falling, and Zym glided down to ground. I grabbed some rope and flung it over the edge of the ambler. I grabbed Callum and he put his arms around me, probably knowing what I was about to do. I ignored the feeling of him holding on to me tight, of him being so close to me. “Here we go!” I said, before jumping both of us off the beast. I could hear Callum scream and I couldn’t help but enjoy the way he held onto me even tighter as we fell down to the ground. 

When we were down, he asked me, “How’d you learn to do that?” I responded gleefully; “I’ve never done that before in my life!” He looked positively terrified, much to my amusement. 

We ran over to where Nyx landed, and Zym glided into Callum’s arms. “Zym! You’re okay!” Callum said happily. He quickly turned solemn; “I’m so sorry we lost you.” Zym licked Callum’s face with zappy kisses, and Callum laughed, “Ow. Careful!” I looked over to Nyx, who struggled to get up and cried, “Help! Help me! My wings are hurt! I can’t fly!”

Suddenly there was a hiss from behind her. I gasped, and a soulfang serpent surfaced next to Nyx. More surfaced rapidly, all hissing at her. “Soulfang.” She tried to fly, but her wings were damaged. She dodged one that took a leap at her, and grunted with pain. “Why did it have to be soulfangs?”

She looked up at us and cried desperately; “Please! You have to help me!” I rolled my eyes, knowing I had to save her. “Callum.” He looked at me. “Get Zym back to the ambler.” I unsheathed my blades and slid down the slope to Nyx.

Nyx was dodging them, but she suddenly just folded her wings around herself, crouching down. Giving up. I gritted my teeth and slid down the slope. I whirled and flipped through the ring of serpents, killing every one in my path with mere flicks of my blades. I killed enough to startle them, and Nyx got up. “Stay right behind me.” I ordered Nyx. “Okay.” She replied, obviously desperate and grateful for help. 

We crept back up the hill, with me slashing at any snake brave enough to try me. Callum helped Nyx up the ledge and I flipped up, hooking my blades onto the lip of the slope. We ran - well, me and Nyx did. Callum was just standing there in... awe? “Callum! Why aren’t you running?” I called back. “Right. Sorry! Sorry!” He called back. 

<>

We made it back up to the ambler, and as I was pulling up the rope, Nyx asked; “So, why did you save me? Even after I tricked you and betrayed you?” Her tone changed to something even more annoying. “It’s because I’m charming, right? Despite it all, you can’t help but like me?” I finished pulling the rope back and said to her, “Nope, that’s not it. I do not like you at all.”   
“Oh. Then, why?” She asked. 

After a pause, “Its because Rayla is a hero.”  
I turned to look at Callum. “What?”  
“Rayla saves people. She’s brave. She does what right, even if it puts her own life in danger. And even when the odds seem impossible, even when it means her own people might misunderstand and turn against her.” He turned to me, not even talking to Nyx anymore. “Rayla is selfless, strong and caring.” He stepped even closer to me, and I was suddenly aware of my heart speeding up. I wasn’t expecting another speech, especially after last night. “That’s what makes her a hero.” He was staring into my eyes, and I could hardly breathe, I was staring into his beautiful emerald eyes - they were swimming with emotion. “That’s what makes her... Rayla.”

I barely noticed Nyx walk off. Callum was standing so close to me, I could barely focus on anything but him. I could even feel his breath on my face. “You are so...” he cut himself off by pressing his lips to mine. 

He kissed me. 

I was in shock. I didn’t even know what to do. This was so, so, so far down my list of things that I was expecting. Then I realised that I was frozen - much like he was when I kissed him. I gathered myself enough to press my lips back into his, but it was too late. He was already pulling away. 

“Oh no. I’m so - I’m sorry. I just got carried away. Next thing I knew, my lips were getting way ahead of me, and -“  
“Shut up.” He was adorable, stumbling over his words, but he thought that kissing me was a mistake. That I didn’t want him to. 

“What?” He was so confused now. I grabbed his scarf, pulling him closer and I looked into his eyes. His beautiful, deep emerald eyes. I kissed him, properly, and this time he responded, kissing me back. My heart sang and my blood pounded in my ears. 

I pulled away and stepped closer at the same time. His arm wrapped around me, resting on my back as my hand rested over his heart and our foreheads touched. “Wow” he breathed, bumping my nose with his. I gave him a small, tender smile which he returned before we kissed again. This time, I only had to close my eyes and tilt my head and our lips were touching, melting into each other. His other arm secured me to him, just as mine both wrapped around him, and our chests were suddenly flush. The taste of his lips were better than I remembered. And this was infinitely more amazing with him kissing me back. His arms tightened further, and his lips moved over mine. I was in heaven.

I was wrong before. I guess he did like me. 

<>

We stood there, just kissing for a while, before I finally pulled back for air. I gasped, breathing heavily, and so was he. He smiled at me again, and I smiled warmly back, so comfortable in his arms. Then I realised that we had just been, well, making out. Me and a human. Me and Callum, of all humans. Who happened to be a former target that I was supposed to kill. And Nyx was still nearby. 

I was never going to hear the end of this. 

But for some reason, I didn’t mind. As long as I was with Callum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks you so much for reading! Feedback is greatly appreciated!


	4. Hearts of Cinder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a tiny chapter with a little Ezran because he is best boi. Sorry for the random lengths, when it gets to the second half of the book, I will have way bigger chapters.

Rayla:

We were walking up the mountain, and Callum was just behind me. I let myself get lost in my thoughts of how it had only been, what, two days since we... actually I didn’t know what to call it. It was a whirlwind - it was amazing but I had barely registered that we had mutual feelings for each other. I could only imagine what would happen if someone told me a month ago that I would fall in love with a human and he would like me back. And we would proceed to make out in front of a Skywing. 

Wait. My head snapped to attention at my thoughts. Love... did I love Callum? Well, I suppose that I had been shoving feelings down - trying (and obviously failing) to ignore them. But now that me and Callum were ‘together’, maybe I could let myself... love him. 

“So, uh, when we get up there, are gonna tell the Dragon Queen that we’re... a thing?” Callum asked, interrupting my thoughts. I smirked. Seems I wasn’t the only one thinking about us. “Uh, I don’t thinks it’s gonna come up.” I said. Honestly, I was a little nervous bringing Callum, a human, to the Dragon Queen. Let alone telling her we were... a ‘thing’. 

His tone changed to something... playful? “Oh, I see. You’re saying we should hide it from her. Kind of a secret, forbidden-romance situation?” I almost giggled at his voice and interesting choice of words - but I couldn’t keep the smile from blooming on my face. I decided to play along with; “Yes. Yes, that’s right!” I stepped down and pressed my finger to his lips. “The Dragon Queen must never know!” I said in a dramatic voice, eagerly waiting for his response. 

He responded in an equally silly and dramatic voice; “I understand. The world just isn’t ready for... what we have.” I playfully nudged his elbow with mine and we laughed, before continuing our ascent. 

<>

I was jolted awake by someone shaking my shoulder. “Rayla, wake up! Come on!” I didn’t even know that I had fallen unconscious. I got up coughing, and it was Callum. I could breathe! I breathed deeply, enjoying the sensation. I looked up at him, and he rested his hand on my back, supporting me. 

“We’re going to okay.” He said, and he looked so cute when he was relieved and worried. So I kissed him. It was comfortable now, practically normal. And it was amazing every time - the taste and feel of his lips on mine, his hand on my back - we pulled away, too soon for my liking, smiling at each other like lovesick idiots before Ezran interrupted. “Hey, that isn’t part of the spell!”

Oh no. How had we forgotten about Ezran. I just KISSED HIS BROTHER IN FRONT OF HIM. I could feel my cheeks flush, and I covered my eyes with my hand as Callum started to explain. 

“Uh, yeah! So, uh... you were gone for a while, and now, uh, this is a thing, soooo...”

Well, that was a really poor explanation. I peeked out from a gap between my fingers at Ezran. I saw Bait figure it out, despite Callum’s terrible choice of words - the creature’s jaw dropped at us. However, Ezran was still confused. “What?” But then, finally, 

“Whaaaaaaaa???”

Ezran:

“Yeah. Sorry Ez. We, uh, forgot to tell you.” Callum apologised, scratching the back of his neck. But I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face. Callum and Rayla? This was so unexpected!

We all kinda assumed that Callum would end up marrying Claudia. It was pretty obvious that he liked her, and she enjoyed being around him too. 

But then they met Rayla. She was soooooo cool! I mean, an assassin? 

By the way, I’ve chosen to forget the part where she was meant to kill me. 

Anyway, she was so skilled and graceful - the opposite of Callum, sorry bro - and she was smart and hilarious. She was a mysterious figure that was athletic and pretty, plus they had only met her a few weeks ago. 

And they already fell for each other. It was a shock as Callum had just liked Claudia. But I guess his eyes had opened when she tried to capture us, and he had started liking Rayla. 

Also no offence Callum, but Rayla falling for him? That was crazy! She was unfeeling, or at least in that way. She must really like Callum if she had come out of her shell that much. I mean, THEY JUST KISSED IN FRONT OF ME! And from the looks of it, they had done it lots if they were that comfortable around each other. Ooooo, this was going to be so much fun teasing them. 

Man, I was away for one week and so much had already happened. 

A minute had gone by with these thoughts buzzing through my head, and I realised that Callum was already worried at my expression, and Rayla was just confused. I thought for another moment, trying to decide how to embarrass them the most. 

“You guys look very normal kissing each other. Wait, how much do you guys kiss?” I teased, and to my immediate delight, Rayla and Callum both turned beet red, not even looking each other in the eye. 

Hmmmm. Verrrrrry interesting. That told me two things: they were still new with each other, and not entirely comfortable with each other, despite what they liked to think. And more importantly? 

They had definitely kissed a lot. 

Ooooooooo, this mountain climb was going to be so much fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Feedback is greatly appreciated!


	5. The Storm Spire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fall from the Storm Spire from Rayla’s perspective. Sorry, it’s really short again.

Rayla:

There was no other option. I had to think about the bigger picture. Viren was about to kill Zym, and destroy the rest of Xadia with him. 

I had to do this. 

I took a deep breath in. Out. 

My focus purely on Viren, I charged. The apparition vanished as soon as I ran through it, and Viren looked at me. I thought; Too late now. I wasn’t sure if I meant for me or for him though - perhaps both. I gritted my teeth and tackled him off the edge. 

Just as a familiar voice rang out behind me. 

My heart wrenched in my chest, tears threatening to spill over. 

Callum. 

Suddenly we were free falling. I pushed away from Viren and his disgusting creature, falling through air. 

It was all in slow motion. My mind flashed back through everything I’d ever done. I’d ever been through. I teared up when I thought of my parents. I had avenged them. Viren was as good as dead - revenge for what he had done to my parents.

“No, no, no - Rayla!” I heard Callum scream again. 

Thoughts of Callum swam through my head. Every time he made me laugh, every time he was there for me, every time he helped me. All of moments we had had - every argument, joke and kiss. 

I was standing just outside the cave, looking over at the view. Beautiful. 

Callum walked over to me. “Hey, you doing okay? This must be hard, being where your parents lived.”

I scowled at him, before stopping myself. This is okay. It’s Callum. I let my guard slip and my expression softened. “I’m... okay. I’m just glad to have you here with me.” I smiled at him and he took my hand, slipping my fingers into his. 

I loved how perfectly our hands fit together. My fingers would go between the gaps of his - it’s like we were always meant to be. 

Perfect. 

“I’m always here for you Rayla.” He cupped my cheek with his free hand, guiding my face to look at his. I waited, but he didn’t kiss me. I rolled my eyes, then pressed my lips to his, reaching my hand up to tangle is his hair.

His soft, luxurious hair. 

I sighed, and he pulled away. “Did I...” He looked bright red. “Did I do something wrong?” 

I rolled my eyes again. Right, this was still new. Neither of us had been with someone before, but it seemed that accidentally walking in on Ethari and Runaan a few times had actually taught me something. 

“No, you dummy!” I laughed at his still-mortified expression. “Oh. Oh well, where were we?” He asked, pulling me close again. I slapped his shoulder and we both laughed. He slipped his hand to the nape of my neck as he kissed me again, his lips moving gently with mine as his body pressed up against mine. 

Tears spilled over my cheeks - in time, he would forgive me. Understand what I did. I just... wish I could say sorry. 

“I love you Callum.” I whispered. I slowly spun around, facing up -

To see Callum falling after me. “No.” I breathed. He couldn’t have - shouldn’t have. We were going to die. Together. 

I reached up, trying to touch him one last time, but he was far to far away for me to reach. 

I blacked out. Only to come to with my arms around Callum’s neck, his arms replaced by giant, feathered wings. We were flying through the air, gliding back up to the spire. 

My big, dumb, loud mage. I love you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Feedback would be greatly appreciated!
> 
> And now we go into new territory - now, I’m just making up the story!


	6. Narrow Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said in the previous chapter, this is where canon ends. I hope that you enjoy the next eleven chapters! This one is a short one again sorry :(

Rayla: 

Callum didn’t quite know how to land properly - it ended with him twisting under me to break most of the fall. We landed with me on top of him, my arms around his neck and me practically sitting on his lap. 

I started shaking, and he looked up at my face. It sent images and thoughts of how close we came to dying running through my head, and I couldn’t take it. I collapsed into a mess, quietly sobbing into his shoulder. He wrapped his wings tightly around me, waiting for me to surface from my despair. 

I looked up at him with tears running down my face and cupped his cheek. “Never risk your life like that again. Okay?” He shook his head and responded; “Rayla, I will always risk my life for you. I won’t let you die.” I shuddered and started crying again, I couldn’t do this, never again. 

We stayed there for a while, just him holding me close while I sobbed into his shoulder. His wings faded into arms, and he held me close, sitting us up so I was still on his lap. 

Eventually I ran out of tears and there was something else that replaced sadness. I was glad that we didn’t die... but now the feeling was like I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to never let go of him again. 

I pulled back and stared into his eyes. He gazed back. My still-blurry eyes flicked down to his lips, and I kissed him. He kissed me back, his arms and hands pulled me closer. I opened my mouth around his, and we deepened the kiss. It felt... right. I couldn’t stop - I wanted more, more, more.

He shifted his hands to the back of my head, twining his fingers in my hair, and I moved my legs so I was straddling him - my heart was beating so fast, it was practically doing flips in my chest. But I could only focus on Callum - the feel of his lips, his arms securing us together, his soft cheeks and his hair beneath my fingertips. His lips pushed hard against mine, and I cupped his face with my hands, pulling him even closer. 

Suddenly we heard something behind us and we pulled apart - fast. I looked behind Callum and it was Ibis, who looked shocked, disapproving and embarrassed all at once. I looked at Callum and he had a furious blush creeping up his cheeks and swollen lips. A look that I surely mirrored. “This is... never mind. Fix yourselves up, there is a meeting being held in the mountain. Callum... stay here a moment.”

I made my way around Ibis, who was still looking at us funny, and walked down to the caves alone. Halfway there, I stopped, pressing my hands to my chest, and I sighed happily, my heart fluttering. That was one of the best moments I had ever had in my life. Even after almost dying... but I shoved the negative thoughts down and smiled like an idiot while heading down to the caves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Feedback it greatly appreciated!
> 
> Chapters will come a lot slower from now on - sometimes in short bursts because I’m an idiot and like writing random chapters when I feel like it, I mean like I already have 11 and 12 done. Sorry about that :(


	7. Return to Katolis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon has ended! This is the night after the fall. Mostly fluff. 
> 
> I have decided to cut this work into 2 parts - this being the second last chapter of Part one.

Callum:

I was still cringing from Ibis’ talk. He had asked and made sure that mr and Rayla weren’t doing anything... inappropriate. I had mumbled, red faced, that we were too young for that. 

I had left the spire quickly after that to find Rayla. I couldn’t be too far away from her or else I started to panic - that was a fun discovery as I was sprinting through the halls to find her. I eventually made my way to the giant main chamber, where she was at the edge of the crowd. 

Most of the humans and elves from the battle were staying to discuss the future. That was going to be a few weeks from the looks of it. 

Ibis had informed us that there were not enough sleeping rooms for everyone, so some people had to double up, and even then, the central chamber was going to be crowded with sleeping mats for others. 

Ezran had volunteered me and Rayla for a sleeping room. Well, that got some people’s attention - namely Amaya, Janai and Corvus. And Soren just assumed that we were just friends, which Ezran was laughing too hard to correct. 

I looked around our room. A small bed, a desk and a rug. I looked over to Rayla, who was looking at the bed. She smirked at me. “So, what’s our sleeping situation?” She asked, putting her hand on her hip and tilting her head at me. 

I could tell what she was asking. I walked over to her with a newfound confidence.

Falling off the tallest mountain in the continent for the girl you love does that to you. 

I slid my arms around her waist, my face only inches from hers. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to let you out of my arms or my sight for the next few months.” I smirked at her, and she slipped her arms around my neck. 

“I understand. I feel the same way.” She whispered, gazing into my eyes. “One blanket then?” I asked, bumping her nose with mine. She chuckled. “I guess so.” She frowned, thinking, then smiled. “Imagine Nyx if she saw us now.”

I laughed, then kissed her firmly. She made a sound of approval and gently parted my lips, deepening the kiss as I shaped my lips around hers. 

Opeli:

I walked over to the skywing mage, Ibis. He dismissed the sunfire elf (Adito, I think I heard) that was pestering him about not sleeping next to their partner. They grumbled, but walked back to the chamber quickly. 

“Yes, Opeli?” Ibis asked politely. I inclined my head in respect, and he did the same in return. “Would you happen to be aware of the whereabouts of Prince Callum?” I asked. 

“I believe that he is in the room in the hallway, twenty-four doors down on the left.”  
I smiled at him. “Thank you Ibis.”  
“I’m always happy to help.”

I walked down the hall, counting the door down. There. 

“Prince Callum-“ I started, walking into the room. 

But I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw the prince of Katolis kissing an elf. Their arms wrapped around each other - wait, wasn’t that the elf that took Callum and Ezran hostage?

He pulled his head away, looking to the door - but jumped away quickly when he saw it was me. But he still gripped her hand. 

“Opeli I-“ He tried to explain, but I was in no mood. 

“Come with me.”

Callum:

“Prince Callum-” I pulled my lips reluctantly from Rayla’s, looking to the door. It was Opeli. 

Ah, that might be a problem. 

I quickly pulled back from Rayla, but I grabbed her hand, lacing her fingers into mine. I don’t think that I could possibly stop touching her. And that was apparently the wrong move because Opeli’s expression shifted dramatically. 

“Opeli I-“

“Come with me.” She said. Rayla cringed a little and squeezed my hand tightly. I looked at her and shook my head - I would deal with Opeli. Wether she liked us or not, it didn’t really matter. I wasn’t leaving Rayla for some stupid tradition, or hatred. 

Rayla was bold enough to quickly grab my jacket and pull me to her to press a kiss to my lips, then let go of my hand and smile. I smiled reassuringly back. 

I love her beyond words. 

Opeli scowled and pulled me into the hallway. “Opeli, listen-“   
She turned to me. “No. I saw enough-“

“You don’t know the whole story!” I yelled. I wasn’t about to let Opeli take Rayla away from me - I was going to defend her no matter what. 

“Rayla is the best elf I have ever met. Before you say that that’s naive, that I haven’t met any elves before, she is selfless, brave and kind! She saved Ezran’s life several times, and mine at least a dozen. Don’t start saying that I can’t be with her, because I don’t care what you think. I wont leave her, no matter what you say.”

Opeli blinked, and then pulled me into a room. “You are a prince. She is an elf.”  
“So?”  
“She would’ve been your killer if it wasn’t for sheer luck.”

“She just saved the world!” I yelled. Tears gathered in my eyes at the memories of the fall, thinking she was going to die. 

“Did you wonder how Viren disappeared? Did you think about it at all? She threw herself and Viren off the cliff where he was about to kill the Dragon Prince. She tackled him off without hesitation.”

Rayla sprinted for Viren, and smashed into him, throwing them both off the cliff. “No, no, no - RAYLA!” I cried jumping up the steps. I saw a teardrop on the ground. From Rayla. My heart was falling into pieces - I had to-

Opeli blinked, looking at her feet, and my voice started to break. “So I saw her jump off, and I - I went after her.” 

Tears spilled from my eyes. I threw my bag and book off my shoulder, braced myself, and jumped. I had to save Rayla. 

I expected Opeli to scold me, to say anything - but nothing. She stayed silent. “I was falling down, and I tried a spell that Ibis had taught me; a spell that turned your arms into wings.” I said, tears slipping from my eyes. 

“Manus pluma volatis! Manus pluma volantis!” I looked at my arms, then down at the ground. “Please work, please work, please- MANUS PLUMA VOLANTIS!!” Still nothing. 

“I tried it over and over, but it didn’t work. And then I fell through cloud into open air, and there was Rayla.” 

She looked up at me, a heartbroken expression on her face, and she reached up to me. I almost started crying, but we were falling too fast. “I love you Rayla.”

“I tried the spell again, and I caught her. I flew us up to the mountain.”

Rayla was almost unconscious when I caught up to her. I slammed into her mid-air, and she immediately wrapped her arms around my neck. I banked, pulling us up, away from the ground that was far too close. Another couple of seconds- no. I wouldn’t think about that.

“Viren is gone, thanks to Rayla. So, don’t tell me about how terrible she is, because she almost died for all of us.” I said, gesturing to the central room down the hall, then to the whole mountain. 

“Wether you like it or not, I am going to sleep next to her so that she doesn’t have nightmares or panic attacks when I’m not next to her.”

“Fine. But- you have to sleep in the main room. Where adults can keep an eye on you. Okay?” 

I nodded, then headed down the hall, back to the room where Rayla was waiting for me. 

She must’ve seen the redness in my eyes because she cupped my cheek, inspecting my face, then stepping outside looking murderous. Probably about to go find Opeli. 

I gently grabbed her arm and pulled her back to me. “It’s fine. Opeli... well, she accepts us. We just have to sleep in the central room.”

She frowned, then sighed. “Alright then. Let’s go.” She slipped her hand into mine, twining our fingers, and we headed out to the massive chamber. 

“A room has just become available Adito! You are welcome to move it with your partner. Allow me to show you the way there.” Ibis called, ushering two beaming sunfire elves into the hallway. 

Rayla rolled her eyes, obviously still annoyed that we had to sleep in the giant chamber. “I’ll get us a blanket.” I said, kissing her cheek and reluctantly let go of her hand to find Amaya. 

I found Amaya at the edge of one of the pillars, next to a giant pile of mats, pillows and sheets. I sprinted the rest of the way, so glad that she was okay. She immediately wrapped me up in a giant bear hug, crushing my ribs. 

When she let go, she signed; “Are you okay? Hurt? Did anything happen to you?” I smiled and sighed back, “I’m fine.” She smirked at me, and I dreaded what she would say next. “Your elf friend. What of her?” 

Rayla. “She is... great! She is doing great.” Amaya quirked her eyebrow at me. Obviously she hadn’t forgotten about earlier. 

Suddenly a voice startled me. “One blanket please.” Rayla took my hand again, squeezing it gently as her fingers slipped between mine. I smiled at her, admiring her beauty in the moonlight, forgetting Amaya standing there. 

Janai coughed, and our eyes flicked back to Amaya, who was still holding a blanket out for us. I blinked, then took the sheet from Amaya. “Thanks.” I said sheepishly. 

We made our way back to our little spot on the floor, setting up the blanket and small mat. 

Yeah, we couldn’t pretend that we were going to be pretty close to each other tonight. 

We lied down and I nervously put my arm around Rayla’s waist. We tried to get to sleep, but at one point she shivered from the cold - it was freezing up here. 

But nothing prepared me for the feeling of Rayla turning on her side and sliding her arms around my waist to pull he closer, and her burying her face in my neck - careful of the horns. 

My face burned, and I froze - unsure of what to do. Rayla looked up at my face and then started to pull away. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to-“ 

I grabbed her arms, stopping her from moving away. “No, it’s okay. More than okay.” I smiled at her again, fully aware of how red my face was. 

I realised how much I had been smiled lately - mostly at her. She was amazing. 

I wrapped my arms around her middle, pulling our chests flush. She obliged, returning to her previous position, nuzzling my neck and tangling our legs. I hummed contently and kissed the top of her head. I was... just happy. So, so happy. 

Sleep found me quickly after that. 

Rayla started sprinting towards the edge. The empty edge - Viren wasn’t even there? “No!” I screamed, but I couldn’t move.

And she couldn’t hear me. 

She leaped off and I couldn’t even struggle - I was trapped - I couldn’t help her - I couldn’t save her - then suddenly I could. I leaped off after her, diving and frantically trying to catch up to her in mid-air. 

“Manus pluma volantis!” I screamed, and it worked immediately. My arms tingled as feathers erupted from them, and suddenly I cut through the air a thousand times faster. 

But I still couldn’t see her. 

And I could now see the ground. 

There she was - I banked, landing on the ground. The wings disappeared when I willed them, and I scrambled along the ground. “Rayla!” I screamed again.

Rayla, Rayla, Rayla. 

Rayla, her body twisted and neck at an unnatural angle. 

Her limbs, bent and snapped. 

Her blood, everywhere - trickling out of a dozen cuts. 

Blood seeping from her ears, her nose, her mouth, her eyes. 

Rayla was gone. 

Dead.

I gasped, my breathing erratic, and tried to make sense of the world around me. 

Rayla was here. My arms were still around her, she was okay. 

She was okay. 

I gently untangled myself from her, and she immediately grumbled. I caressed her forehead, and she calmed down. I just... wow. I couldn’t believe that she loved me back - she was such an incredible person. And she loved me. 

Suddenly the images from my nightmare cake crashing back, and it was the twisted, broken Rayla that flickered in front of me. 

I needed some fresh air. 

I walked outside, relishing the cool breeze that floated through the air. It spoke to me, to the arcanum that grew with every breath I took. 

We were okay. 

I stayed at the ledge for a while, enjoying the peace of night. Eventually I decided to go back inside - I was getting cold and Rayla was so warm. 

But as I strolled back to the chamber, a scream pierced the air. 

Rayla. 

Rayla:

Flashes of my dream crashed into my head - no, my nightmare. 

Callum braces himself to jump off the cliff. After me. But - but I was here. “Callum!” I screamed. “CALLUM!” He couldn’t hear me. 

But I didn’t fall. I didn’t- WHY WAS HE JUMPING? He leaped off, and I screamed again. Screamed until my throat was hoarse. 

Then I heard a crunch - and I knew it. Knew in my heart that he was dead. He was gone. 

No, no, no, no- CALLUM!

Tears blurred my vision as figures ran to me. 

Callum wasn’t here- where was he? No, he wasn’t- surely it was just a nightmare- WHERE IS CALLUM? No, no-

There. Red shirt, black pants, emerald eyes. He sprinted for me and wrapped me into his arms. 

“Oh no, Rayla, I’m so sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry-“ He cradled my body as I sobbed into his shoulder. I could tell that others were walking towards us as well, and I made myself as small as possible. 

I was an assassin for crying out loud. I shouldn’t be so emotional, I was exactly what Runaan said was wrong with me, I started chocking on my sobs, I started panicking-

“Everyone back off!” Callum yelled, cupping the side of my head as to not shout directly into my sensitive ears. “Go back to sleep! Go on, back away!” 

“It’s okay, I’m here, you’re here, we’re okay, we’re all okay.” He murmured. My tears started to slow down, and my sobs settled into hiccups. 

Callum just rubbed circles into my back and waited for me to calm down. 

When my tears eventually faded, he pulled back, tacking my hands and looking into my eyes. 

“Feeling better?” He whispered, rubbing the backs of my hands. I nodded, wiping at my eyes with my palms and then I lied down again. 

Callum slipped under the blankets behind me, slipping his arms around my waist. I ducked my head down so that I didn’t stab him with my horns, and he chuckled before tightening his grip on me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay - I’m struggling to write these parts - I’m thinking of starting a College AU and that’s all that is occupying my mind! But I will finish this series, I hate it when my fav works are cut short permanently, and I won’t do that to you guys. I won’t let my standard of writing drop though, it was mostly this chapter that I hit a roadblock on.
> 
> As always, feel free to leave a comment and feedback is greatly appreciated!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Updates will be weekly most likely - sometimes two chapters at once. I apologise for the shortness of these fics, I don’t know how to lengthen a story and still make it sound okay. But I promise that the others are longer, there are some really long ones and shorter ones like this fic.
> 
> I would greatly appreciate feedback!


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